Gripping device or carrier for button-making machines.



EATEIITEII' MAE. 27, 190e.

' ECRMEY. L

ING MACHINES.

CEIPPINC DEVICE 0E CARRIER ECE EU-Trt MAK APPLIOATION FILED APILZB, 1904.

vUNITED @STATES PATENT '.OEETOE.

JOHN EORMBY,` or wooNsooKET, RHODE ISLAND, AssieNon To THE BUTTON MAOHINERY COMPANY, oF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- TioNoE NEW YORK.

QRIPPING. Device on cAnnlER loa @Tron-MAKING MAQHINES. j

Spei'caiioaaftenerament- Patented March 27, 1906.

Application led :April 28,'19Q4. Serial'Nm 205,309,

Y ToV rif/ZZ4 whom t 1v1/wy concern/.-

Be it -known that I, JOHN HoRMBY,.a citizen ofthe United States, and-a resident of Woon-v `making machines ,and its novelty' consists'in the construction and adaptation of the parts.

October 1, 1898, there were issued to me Letters Patent of the United States No; 611,811 for a-fbutton-making machine, which comprised, among other-instrumentalities, a`

grip consisting of a air of vjaws adapted lat#y erally to hold the s abs of ivory-nut out of Whichthe buttons were made lduring the sun Y dry drilling and cutting operations, each j aw zo beingsuitably apertured to give access-"to the operating-tools, one ofsaid jawsbeingiixed and vthe other movable. This wascombined with means adapted to lock the j aws against 'the ivory slab, so that the latter Hwould vbe iirmly .held while the tools -were cutting or drilling it. This-machine has gone into somewhat general use and relatively unskilled labor is employed in its operation. .The Aivorynuts are ovoid in shape, and in order-to cut the v nut up most economically, so asto produce the greatest number of buttons fora givenvolume of material, it is-frequently necessaryfin plac-` ing the slabs in the gri-p to use more j udgment or; skill in their adjustment than the-average operator possesses.v This is especially true I.concerning the manipulation of pieces cut lfrom the endfof the ynut transverseto its Llongest aXis. These pieces frequently ,-conta'in material sufiicient for just one button-and no place them within the jaws of the grip so that [the button is perfectly cutand no part-of it is cut intoand spoiled.l In order that `the operators not possessed-of the lnecessary skill fin jacent to the annular toothed aperture through which `the l operating-tools are 'given accessv'to .theslab, which isso arranged that.

when theslab iis placed 4against this vguide l'it Vmore, and it requires vconsiderable skill tov fmust be in-.proper 4position with resp ect to the vvtool-aperture lto make a complete and .perfect button. The principle determining the :location of -the `slab -is that the surface of the guide, if prolonged, would be :tangent-to the inner periphery oftheftool-aperture. In fad- -dition I provide the guide in some cases with a recess or notch, which will engage the con-v vergingedges ofan ivory slab and bring it to Varoper position -to cutthebutton therefrom when it 'is not of -the shape -to properly be placed in position'bycausingit -to rest against the straight edges of the guide.

In the drawings, Fi ure 1 is a sideelevation rand partial section o'-the grip and adjacent parts. Fig. -Zis anenlarged plan view' ofthe -iixed jaw provided with-the improved guidevand showing 'in dotted outline a slab against 'its left-edge. Fig. 3 is a similar view show- 'ing a slab lagainst ,-itsrightfedge. Fig. iis a similar view -showing a slab engaged. in its notch; 'Fi'g. f 5 -is -a `front lelevation ofthe -j aw provided with thenotched guide; Fig. -v6v isa similar view ofthe same without-the notch,4 and Fig. 7 -is-a sectionon the plane ofthe line 7 7 in Fig. 5. i Y -Inthe drawings, 410represents afportion of the head or carrier yupon which the grip is imounted and by Awhich itis moved. This may be mounted -to rotatev as inthe form of 'button-machine described in Letters Patent No. 611,811, abovereferredto, or to reciprocate or to move in anydesiredwayf-whereby -the apertures inthe gri maybe brought oppositethe operating-'too s, (represented at 1 00 1003,) or it maybe stationary and the tool maybeimovable. The relative arrangement of -these-partsforms no part of this invention Aand is within the skill of `an-ordinary mechanic to suit the circumstances of any particular case. ,Itis alsonotnecessaryto show the/remainder. ofthe carrier orhead 1 0 or the mechanism lby -Which lit is actuated lin order to understand Vthe present invention. A fixed jaw -11is secured tothe carrier 1 in-anyisuit-able manner, -asby screws or bolts, or it maybe made integraltherewith, and is providedwith an annular-piece 12, furnished Ywith teeth 'or serrations 13 on-'its1innerside and provided With .a tool-opening 14 to perf vmit of accessy of the operating-tools.

A movablejaw 20 is arranged in close-prox- IOO refer to use it is mounted on the carrieread 10, so as to movewiththe fixed jaw, and provided with means, as the pinion 2l whereby it may be caused to move toward and away from the fixed jaw, so as to grasp the ivory slab between them. The precise means employed for this purpose may be varied as circumstances shall require and forms no part of this invention. v

Toward the rear of the fixed jaw and beyond the tool-aperture when the jaw is in position to receive an ivory slab is arranged-the guide or guard above referred to and which forms the main feature of the invention which is the subject-matter of this application. This consists of a projection 30, secured to or made integral with the fixed jaw and provided with two edges 3l and 32, each of which is in a plane substantially tangent to the periphery 13EL of the tool-aperture. It is also provided With a notch or recess 33 next to the surface of the carrier, so that the sloping edges of a slab placed in said recess cause the slab to be accurately guided across the toolaperture.

As has been stated in the foregoing portion of this description, the slabs from which the buttons are eut are frequently, at least, somewhat egg-shaped, and in many instances one side thereof will be better adapted for the front of the button than the other side, or one edge will provide a surface which can be guided by the tangential side of the guide, while the o posite edge will not present a surface suitab e to be guided by said tangential edge. Frequently, also, the button must be cut from one end of the slab, the other end of said slab being of less diameter or of less thickness than is suitable for such purpose while affording a projecting part adapted to be held by the o erator in placin the slab in positionA to be ormed into the utton. It will be seen that the plurality of guiding-surfaces each tangential to the tool-aperture and convergin to a point and the recess arranged beneath t e junction of said surfaces and having its wall which engages the edge of the slab located sufficiently back of said junction to provide a broad surface to engage the pointed edge of the slab inserted in said recess provides a guiding means of simple construction adapted to guide across the toolaperture a slab of any of the various and ordinary shapes thereof, so as to present to the tools that portion of the slab from which the button must or should be cut. This adaptability of the guide to the various shapes of such slabs is, furthermore, increased by reason of the fact that the recess 33 is of gradually-decreasing depth from its open to its closed sides,which decrease in the depth thereof is formed by decreasing the thickness of the guide toward its point, as shown bestin Figs. 5 and 7.

In Figs. 2, 3, and 4 ivory slabs 40 are indicated in dotted outline. In Fig. 2 the one edge 41 of the slab is shown as having been brought to bear against the edge 31 of the projection 30. In Fig. 3 the edge 42 is shown against the edge 32, and in Fig. 4 the lip 43 is shown as engaging the notch When the slabs are in these positions, it will be observed that the tool-aperture 14 is completely covered, and a button may be cut out of the slab equal in diameter to the diameter of said aperture.

n What I claim as new is- 1. In a button-making machine, means for holding a button-slab having a tool-aperture, and means for guiding said slab to a predetermined position across said aperture, said guiding means being arranged at one side of said aperture and having a plurality of converging guiding-faces each of which extends approximately at a tangent with said aperture and is adapted to engage an edge of said slab so as to bring a predetermined part of the slab across said aperture.

2. In a button-making machine comprising a fixed j aw having a tool-aperture, a guide for the slab to be operated on adapted to bring a predetermined part of the slab to register with the tool-aperture, comprising a projection of the jaw located at one side of said aperture and having a plurality of edges each of which starts at the peri liery of said aperture and extends off from t ie same substantially at a tangent thereto.

3. In a button-making machine, comprising a fixed jaw having a tool-aperture, a guide for the slab to be operated on, adapted to bring a predetermined part of the slab into registration with said aperture, said guide having adjacent to said aperture a recess adapted to receive and engage a pointed edge of said slab.

4. In a button-making machine comprising a iixed jaw having a tool-aperture, a guide for the slab to be operated on adapted to bring a predetermined part of the slab to register with the tool-aperture, comprising a projection on the jaw having an edge in a plane substantially tangent to the eriphery of the tool-aperture and a recess adapted to receive and engage with the edge ofthe material slab.

5. In a button-making machine comprising a fixed jaw having a tool-aperture, a guide for the slab to be operated on adapted to bring a predetermined part of the slab to register with the tool-aperture, comprising a projection on the jaw having a )lurality of edges each in a plane substantia ly tangent to the periphery of the tool-aperture and a recess adapted to receive and engage with the edge of the material slab.

6. A button-making machine, comprising a jaw having a tool-aperture and a guide for the slab` to be operated on, said guide being arranged at one side of said aperture and hav- IOO ing a plurality of converging guiding-faces Witness my hand this 26th day of April, Which extend approximately at tangents 1904, at Woonsocket, in the county of Provi- With said aperture and also havin va recess dence and State of Rhode Island. beneath the junction of said faces, t e Wall of JOHN HORMBY. said recess opposite said jaW being inclined, Witnesses: substantially as described and for the pur- JEFFERSON ALDRICH, poses set forth. JOSEPH ZULEGr.4 

